Sue Osborn Brush with light January 2021

December 31, 2020

January 27, 2021

Sue Osborn

0407343818

Sue Osborn is a practicing artist living in Drouin in West Gippsland. She enjoys using a range of mediums, including airbrushing, watercolour and welded metal sculpture, sometimes combining aspects of many of them in her work. Sue has developed a deep interest in the relationship between man and the environment and a concern for threatened and endangered species.

Generally her images are based on her own experiences and you can see evidence of her travels to Borneo, China, Ningaloo reef in W.A., free diving at Portsea and Flinders and scuba diving. She uses sketches, working on site and her own photos. She tries to immerse herself in the actual environment to develop and create these starting points.

ARTISTS STATEMENT

Art feels good to make, yet I often stumble over my answer when people introduce me as an artist or ask if I am an artist. I would like to say yes, but like many others, I don’t know if I deserve the title. I am only just starting to realize that it doesn’t really matter. It just feels good to be creating and making things, learning new techniques and skills along the journey and meeting like-minded people.

I have been very fortunate over quite a long teaching career, mainly in the Arts and Technology, to have been able to learn many varied and interesting techniques. However, I really didn’t start to use them more seriously in my own art until the late nineties. So whether I am airbrushing on a very varied range of surfaces, using watercolour, sketching, taking photos or using a range of metal working techniques etc, it is just a really good feeling.

I love exploring nature, creating a sense of beauty as I see it, or sometimes simply challenging the viewer. My images are mostly based on my own sketches, working on site and from my own photos. I try to immerse myself in the actual environment to develop and create these starting points. One of my aims is to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully at the world around them, to discover beauty in unusual places.

CLEMATIS’

$275

I love painting flowers and this was one of the large early blooms

BAD HAIR DAY’ (sold)

$275

My cousin in Mansfield has several emus on his property and they come running to greet you at incredible speed. This one was particularly cheeky and I loved his wind-blown feathers.

DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT” (sold)

$675

Asian elephants are highly intelligent and self-aware, but the species is pre-eminately threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. These three ‘young ladies’ captivated me with their almost light hearted behaviour and I watched them appear to communicate over quite a prolonged period.

KEEP THE CHILDREN AMUSED’ (sold)

$675

Is set over the marine paradise of Coral bay in Western Australia where the giant manta rays gather in the warm shallow waters to feed. When I swam with one of them for 40 minutes I was struck by its grace, agility and speed. It was so peaceful and the vivid deep blue as you submerged was breathtakingly beautiful. They reminded me of the kites I flew as a child with my father. It was amazing to see the way they could effortlessly glide, manoeuvre and then spiral and dive so quickly. At this stage even less is known about these creatures than the whale sharks. Will we see them into the next century or will they be exhibits in a controlled marine park to amuse us and our children?

No one will notice

$675

Is my response to the effect that the oil rigs and gas pipelines being built off the Kimberley coast will have on the migratory routes of the whale sharks and the marine life that lives in these pristine waters. Facsimiles of the whale shark might become the substitute. Since I completed this work my concerns have been justified, with one of the oil rigs leaking over a prolonged period and then catching alight. Untold damage has already been done to the waters in the Timor Sea and the surrounding atmosphere. Yet the government is allowing this company more leasing rights!

'WILL I EVER LIVE THERE AGAIN' (sold)

$725

I was struck by the apparent sadness off this Chimpanzee sitting on an artificial structure in Singapore Zoo. He was probably born in captivity and would live out his life there. Yet they are our closest living relative sharing 98.7 % of our genetic blue print.

‘WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? (sold)

$695

This is one of two pelicans which had eaten, preened and then settled down on the back structure of a fishing trawler moored in Coffs Harbour. Their physical shape and colour has always fascinated me, as has their ability in the air. They are masters of the thermal currents and lose all trace of ungainliness after they take off. However perched on the back of a boat?

AFTERNOON REFLECTIONS – ALICE SPRINGS DUCKS’.

$695

The building’s reflections on the almost still water were a wonderful contrast of colour and pattern and then along came two hungry ducks to fragment the image. The rosy glow of the late afternoon sun on the ducks plumage, enhanced the warmth of the image.

EXHAUSTED’

$600

This is based on one of my images from the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary in China. The young Panda had been playing fairly vigorously with other Pandas and then simply collapsed on the rocks exhausted. The Giant Panda is second on the 10 most endangered species list and around 1600 are left in a few mountain ranges in Central China. The rest are in sanctuaries in China and 40 in zoos outside China. It is primarily loss of habitat and human encroachment that is signalling its possible

ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?’

$675

I love watching, photographing and painting pelicans. They are a theme I return to constantly and in fact, you could almost say I stalk them. This lovely fellow really gave me the eye and was not too happy with my presence, but tolerated me wallowing around in the mangroves at Hastings. Awkward and unco-ordinated on land one minute, then so unbelievably graceful the next as they take to the water or more spectacularly, the air.

CHEEKY'

$650

Many of recent images revolve around water and the animals that frequent it. ‘Cheeky’ is what I thought straight away when I saw this Australia seal peering around from behind this rock. In Australia this seal is fully protected although its numbers are probably still only half those of the historic pre sealing days. They continue to be vulnerable to disturbance at their breeding sites and suffer some loses as a result of conflict with commercial fishing operations.

KOI POND’

$750

This sculpture can go outdoors because of the automotive finish and Penetrol finish, but with exposure to direct sunlight and changing weather conditions it can deteriorate more quickly. Fish ponds have always held a fascination for me from an early age. I come from a generation when backyard swimming pools were not the norm, but fish ponds were and the water and its contents like a magnet. I would climb the fence and be in the water like a flash and as you can see, many of my artworks show a continuing involvement with water.

WHATS FOR LUNCH’ (sold)

$625

I was fortunate to see this Kestrel when I visited Central Australia.

FAIRY PENGUINS’ 1

$375

Another of the animals that fascinate me with their ungainly movement on land that turns into absolute poetry in motion in the water.

FAIRY PENGUINS’ 2

$375

Another of the animals that fascinate me with their ungainly movement on land that turns into absolute poetry in motion in the water.

LAUGHING KOOKABURRA’

$490

I have tried to catch the image of a kookaburra for quite a while. So many people say that they have them in their yards, but when I turn up they vanish. Finally I caught up with some that were hunting in between rain showers. I was staggered at how good their eye sight was from such incredible distances, they were unerringly accurate

GORGEOUS’

$390

This male blue wren in full colour was flitting amongst the grass and coastal wattle at Walkerville. I have stalked them for almost three springs around the South Gippsland coast and finally nabbed this confident young lad.

WEEDY DRAGONS’

$650

Mild steel, plasma cut, MIG welded, automotive base coat and Diamond Clear Coat. This could go outside. I first saw these when free diving with my cousin at Portsea a few years ago and was fascinated by them. Since then I have used them in a number of sculptural works.

IRIDESCENT WINGS’

$675

Plasma cut, corten, MIG welding, black mild steel airbrushed with automotive paints and sealed with 2 pack clear. Butterflies lift out.

GIANT PANDA’ ’

$645

Corelight shaped and airbrushed, sealed with 2 pack – Weather proof within limits As you can see from a number of my artworks Pandas eat a tremendous quantity of bamboo. Consequently you tend to see them mainly, eating and sleeping. These beautiful animals were absolutely enchanting and are such a distinctive image of China. They are also becoming a symbol of man’s seeming lack of interest to live in harmony with other species. The Giant Panda is second on the 10 most endangered species list and around 1600 are left in a few mountain ranges in Central China. The rest are in sanctuaries in China and 40 in zoos outside China. It is primarily loss of habitat and human encroachment that is signalling its possible demise. It will be an enormous lack of face for China if they become extinct.

REPLETE

$375

This is one of a series of works based on my visit to the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary in China and had obviously eaten its fill for the moment. They are also becoming a symbol of man’s seeming lack of interest to live in harmony with other species. The Giant Panda is second on the 10 most endangered species list and around 1600 are left in a few mountain ranges in Central China. The rest are in sanctuaries in China and 40 in zoos outside China. It is primarily loss of habitat and human encroachment that is signalling its possible demise. It will be an enormous lack of face for China if they become extinct.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT 2

$695

This is the second of two pelicanswhich had eaten, preened and then settled down on the back structure of a fishing trawler moored in Coffs Harbour. Their physical shape and colour has always fascinated me, as has their ability in the air. They are masters of the thermal currents and lose all trace of ungainliness after they take off. However perched on the back of a boat?

CHIMPANZEE (sold)

$600

Another melancholy Chimpanzee portrait. Do I imagine the innate intelligence present on his face, decide for yourself!

‘RED LEGGED DOUC’

$550

Among the most colourful of all primates, they are very rarely seen on the ground.

MIGRATION' (sold)

$495

I have always loved these beautiful Monarch butterflies since I was a little girl and really enjoyed making them and air brushing their glorious colours. This sculpture can go outdoors because of the automotive finish, but with exposure to direct sunlight and changing weather conditions it can deteriorate more quickly

ANGELS TRUMPET’ ’ (sold)

$225

An exotic beauty, with beautiful pendulous trumpet shaped flowers

ENCROACHMENT’

$675

Cut WPC Corelight Board shape, acrylic paint, automotive 2 pack. Based on my own images this magnificent tiger is native to tropical zones in Southeast Asia. It is third on the most endangered species list and in the last 30 years as many as three subspecies of tigers have become extinct. It has been hunted heavily and humans have encroached on tiger land, and have destroyed their natural habitat. For some sub species zoos and sanctuaries are their only way to Survive.